Multiple speakers urge Antioch Unified to retain site safety coordinator and to preserve MLK celebration

During the public comment period, multiple employees, parents and community leaders addressed the board in support of Lakisha ("Keisha") Jarvis, a site safety coordinator at Antioch High School, and urged the board and administration to review circumstances surrounding her absence and consider retention or reinstatement.

Speakers described Jarvis as a longtime, stabilizing presence who defuses incidents, builds relationships with students and staff, and contributes to campus safety. Several staff members read character-reference letters and described incidents in which Jarvis intervened to stop physical altercations and to de-escalate high-stress situations. A current nutrition assistant who has worked at Antioch High for 13 years said Jarvis's presence "provides a sense of safety." Another speaker who said she had worked in the district for three years credited Jarvis with helping her adjust to working with high-school students.

Community members also raised concern about reports that the city's Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, a 17-year tradition, may be diminished or moved. Speakers who helped organize the MLK event urged the board to preserve the celebration and the legacy it honors, saying the gathering fosters community cohesion and honors a local organizer's work.

Board members did not take action on personnel items during the meeting. Several speakers said they had submitted written statements and letters to the board.